All the birthday gifts had to be registered, lest the host couldn’t tell who gave what in the end.
All those who wanted to take the grand birthday party’s opportunity to curry favor with the Hunts had already sent a lot of valuable gifts a long time ago.
The person in charge of registering the gifts had already long since become numb to the great number of valuable gifts. Thus, he replied, “A box of pills.”
Box?
Yvonne let out a low laugh.
The more precious a medicine, the more they were counted by the actual number of pills—after all, even a single pill was hard to come by.
Yet they had given a whole box of pills…
Their gift was probably Carefree Pills, right?
The Carefree Pill’s current market value was $3,000 per pill. Even if they gave an entire box of it, how much could they possibly add up to…?
Yvonne let out a sigh of relief and said, “My gift is a pill.”
The person in charge of registering gifts looked up at her. “Okay, I’ve noted it. What kind of precious pill is it, though, Ms. Smith?”
The question was purely out of his own curiosity.
Yvonne smiled and answered, “It’s the Zabe Corporation’s Calming Pill.”
Thud.
The person in charge of gift registration dropped his pen on the table. His voice also suddenly rose in volume as he repeated, “The Zabe Corporation’s Calming Pill?”
Rachel, who was standing behind Yvonne, also heard them. At once, she became even more surprised, and her voice became even louder. “The Zabe Corporation’s Calming Pill?”
Her words made everyone look over.
Upon sensing their envious gazes, Yvonne raised her chin a little, and she felt like she had finally regained her confidence. She said simply, “Yeah.”
Then, she headed to the party hall.
The people at the door were already sighing in admiration. “The Zabe Corporation’s Calming Pill… She sure is generous!”
“Yeah, that pill is really hard to find now! The Smiths are probably the only ones that can get Dr. Zabe to make one more these days!”
“The Smiths are worthy of their name as a top-notch giant, indeed! As expected, they only do great things! The box of pills that the Andersons gave are probably Carefree Pills. In comparison, that’s nothing to be envious of anymore…”
The Andersons’ Carefree Pills had already made a name for themselves. To be honest, a box of it was actually a presentable gift.
But compared with the Zabe Corporation’s Calming Pill, it was ultimately still inferior.
Yvonne was delighted by their comments.
But a short while after she cheered up, her friends behind her started talking to one another softly again.
“Why didn’t the Smiths manage to borrow the Blue Enchantress when they’re so powerful, though? After all, Yvonne loved showing off the most during all the parties in the past!”
“Yeah, the brand won’t loan us the Blue Enchantress if we try to borrow it, but they definitely won’t dare to offend people like the Hunts and the Smiths if they ask for it! How did the Andersons manage to borrow it instead…?”
“By right, that shouldn’t be the case. The Smiths are a top-notch family. Isn’t it a cinch for them to borrow a gown if they want to?”
“… Don’t say any more. She’s ultimately just an adopted daughter. If she were a real Smith, how would she possibly fail to borrow it…”
Their words made Yvonne clench her fists tightly.
Not a real Smith… Indeed, it was because she wasn’t a real Smith that they had rejected her when she went to borrow the gown.
But had Joel personally made the request himself, they definitely wouldn’t have dared to refuse!
At the end of it all, it was still because she wasn’t related to the Smiths by blood.
Yvonne lowered her head. Her friends were still talking to one another softly.
“Ah, I remember now. Nora Smith was at the dance party this year, but she had only tied up her hair and worn a pantsuit that time. She’s simply beautiful in her outfit today!”
“Why do I feel like she looks even better than Ms. Smith…”
“No, wait, shouldn’t Ms. Smith and Mr. Hunt be the highlight of the Hunts’ party this evening instead? What is she wearing the Blue Enchantress to steal the limelight for? Could it be that…”
“Cough!”
Someone who saw Yvonne coughed as a reminder.
The few of them immediately shut up. All of them were rather embarrassed when they turned and spotted Yvonne. They said, “We were just talking nonsense just now, Ms. Smith. Don’t mind us…”
Yvonne took a deep breath.
Of course she knew that they were just fair-weather friends.
The moment they complained about others in front of her, she had already known that she would definitely also be the focus of their complaints.
There wasn’t anyone who didn’t talk about others behind their backs, nor was there anyone who wasn’t talked about behind their backs.
She had long since become accustomed to it after so many years.
She smiled and said, “What were you all talking about just now? I didn’t hear anything.”
The few of them breathed sighs of relief at once. Then, they started to flatter her again. “We were talking about how inappropriate Nora Smith’s behavior is. You’re definitely the star of the occasion tonight, so what is she trying to steal the limelight for? Those who didn’t know better would have thought she had some kind of special relationship with the Hunts!”
“It’s only because Ms. Hunt is studying abroad, so she isn’t in the States right now. Otherwise, how would she, of all people, possibly get to wear the Blue Enchantress…”
“Exactly. Isn’t it exactly because she’s looking for a good man to marry that she’s dressed up so nicely and attracting so much attention? But I heard that she got herself pregnant before marriage, so she has a daughter! The little girl she was holding just now is her daughter!”
“What? Who would still want her when she already has a child?”
“That’s why, girls. She must be having a hard time finding a life partner after having a child, so she can only dress up a little more beautifully to cover up that shortcoming of hers. Just take a look at all the boys over there; aren’t they all blind and bewitched now?”
“… Hmph, it’s useless even if she’s bewitched them all! Their families would never agree to it! It’s basically next to impossible for her to marry into a good family.”
“…”
Nora, the topic of everyone’s discussion, was currently surrounded by a group of men.
Although she had been the highlight at the dance party the other time, she had ultimately dressed rather coolly in a pantsuit, so she didn’t look as stunning as she did today.
Everyone had gathered around her. Some were introducing themselves, while some were trying to sound her out.
Nora, who didn’t know them at all, found them very annoying.
She broke into a frown. By then, Sheril was already saying, “Sorry, everyone. Nora and I are going to the side to rest for a while. You—”
“Are you going to the sofa over there? Sure, we can accompany you two there. Is Ms. Smith feeling unwell? Shall I help you over?”
“Let me do it instead, Mr. Simmons. After all, your arms have held too many girls before!”
“What do you mean by that? Do you think you’re that innocent yourself?”
“Of course I’m not. It’s just that the number of girlfriends I’ve had is fewer than you…”
“Neither of you are innocent enough. Don’t let them fool you, Ms. Smith. How about letting me help you over instead?”
“…”
The men started to argue with one another, causing everyone around them to look over and frown.
All of them were relatively flirtatious young men from wealthy families. They usually fooled around a lot, and seldom did anything decent. The moment they spy on a beautiful woman, they can’t move away anymore.
With them surrounding her, Nora’s reputation wouldn’t fare any better!
Sure enough, Yvonne’s friends started to insult her again.
“Look at that vixen. Isn’t her blatant seduction act a little too low-class? She definitely won’t be able to find a good boyfriend!”
The corners of Yvonne’s lips curled into a smile as she waited for Nora to make a fool out of herself.
But right at this point, Justin, who should be making an appearance later instead, suddenly appeared in the party hall!